The Gorgeous Flowering Shrub That Makes The Perfect Foundation Plant For Your Home

No matter how much designers talk about enhancing the interior of a house, when an unwitting neighbor passes by on the street, it is the curb appeal of your home that sets its tone. First impressions can often end up being the last! And when it comes to adding that extra oomph to your curb and landscape (and creating that strong first impression), the foundation plants that hug your home's perimeter are undoubtedly the most unsung heroes. They soften up the harsh lines of your house's architecture, add a seamless transition to your yard, and act as essential supporting elements for enhancing the lead acts in your garden. In fact, there is one plant in particular that stands up to all these tasks, besides adding its own unique elements, such as stunning visual impact, low maintenance requirements, and an extended bloom time: weigela.

Weigela (Weigela florida), originating from the Asian continent, is a pet-friendly, deciduous shrub that belongs to the honeysuckle family and is suited for growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8. While the genus name of the shrub is given in the honor of German botanist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, the species name is not a reference to any particular state but rather to its flowery disposition. Unlike a number of other foundation plants that can only provide fullness to a landscape with their lush foliage, weigela also rewards you with its beautiful tubular-shaped blooms in a variety of colors, multiple times a year — once during late spring and possibly again later in the season. Plus, its flowers will also attract a host of pollinators and hummingbirds to your yard.

Weigela likes to have full sun exposure and does not bloom as effectively in partial shade. When it comes to soil requirements, the plant is far less finicky and can adapt to different types. Nonetheless, you should give it well-drained, moist soil for maximizing performance, with its pH hovering anywhere between 5.5 and 7.5. You don't have to worry too much about watering this shrub once it is established. However, you can't be as carefree if you are in a very hot and dry region — in especially dry conditions, lack of water could be a major reason the leaves on your weigela plant are turning brown. 

Pruning is a big part of maintaining most foundation plantings, and it is even more so if you're thinking about planting weigela. Apart from resizing at the end of the blooming season, pruning any dead wood and some of its large branches in the winter helps with increasing its blooms next spring and inducing new growth of flowering shoots, particularly for large specimens. You don't have to worry a lot about protecting the plant from pests or diseases, since weigela stays fairly untroubled by pests and aphid infestations, which, even when they do appear, are rarely threatening to the plant's health. Just make sure the plant is getting enough air circulation to stay healthy and avoid the threat of fungal infections, like powdery mildew.

Some of the dwarf weigela cultivars can be excellent choices as foundation plants for your landscape. They will provide a great backdrop for your building throughout the year and demand the least amount of efforts when it comes to pruning. Their compact size will make sure they are not blocking your window view, either. The 'Sonic Boom' variety stands around 4 to 5 feet in height and blooms mid-spring with magenta-pink flowers. Even though it grows flowers again, on new wood later during fall, make sure you do not prune this plant during the flowering season since its blooms are primarily from previous season's growth. For the purpose of resizing, late spring and early summer is the best time to prune your weigela plant, right after spring blooming is over.

'Minuet' is another cultivar that is great for foundation planting because of its diminutive size and spreading habit. It gives purple-tinged, green foliage and rosy pink flowers. It is also way hardier in comparison to other dwarf weigela varieties. Other cultivars like 'My Monet' and 'Spilled Wine' are great additions to patios and offer structure and color to your space.